✨Wiki Wednesday✨ - Info about England Civil Registration

LGPreston

This link includes lots of background on how and why Civil Registration was introduced in England. Also some useful tips on where to look for records that pre-date Civil Registration. When was the last time you looked at this? Maybe it can point you in the right direction 😀

England Civil Registration

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/England_Civil_Registration

Before 1837 only churches recorded birth, marriage, and death information in England (see England Church Records). In the early 1800s, Parliament recognized the need for accurate records for voting, planning, taxation, and defense purposes. Legislation was passed to create a civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for England and Wales and, for registering the same for British subjects abroad. England and Wales registration began on 1 July 1837, and covered births, marriages, divorces and deaths. However one problem with English civil registration is that coverage was not universal, especially in the earlier years before tougher laws in 1874. Use Church Records in these cases.